Couples these days do anything to conceive for the love of having a child. Despite the advances in medical technology, there are still people who believe in fertility rituals. There is nothing wrong if you consider fertility rituals but you should not completely rely on that. It is still best to depend on medical technology to be sure.

Fertility rituals are sometimes odd but you will be surprised that their customs stand the test of time even transcend to borders. There are bizarrely famous fertility rituals outside Singapore that worth knowing if you are serious about conceiving a child. Here are some places and rituals:

Kanamara Matsuri

Kanamara Matsuri is a Japanese fertility festival. Other people fondly call this The Penis Festival. Men, women and tourists flock to Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki every spring for pray for their special intentions from virility to business prosperity, marriage and harmony.

Many people celebrate with penis-shaped snacks, carvings and other ornaments. What is more exciting for others is the parade of wooden penis shrines (about 2.5 metres long). This is not just any other festival because organizers advocate for safe sex and the proceeds will go to HIV research funding.

The Weeping Column

If you happen to visit Istanbul, head to Hagia Sophia and look for The Weeping Column. The Weeping Column features a hole. Believers will place their thumb into that hole and then rotate it to 360 degrees. If the thumb surfaces wet, your ailment or whatever you wished for will be given or healed.

Victor Noir’s Grave

Visiting a grave for fertility is somehow odd but it does not make it acceptable. In the case of Victor Noir’s Grave where there is a life-sized bronze statue of him, people come there to offer flower and even stroke his crotch because it is believed that it can improve sexual well-being and fertility. The grave is in Paris, France.

Chao Mae Tuptim

In Thailand, there is also a fertility shrine. This penis shrine is kind of strange but many people swore to its effectiveness. The shrine has offerings of phallic-shaped gifts in exchange for conceiving.

Waters of Kununurra

The mysterious waters in Kununnura in Western Australia gave many people the gift of conception including actress Nicole Kidman. According to her, while filming Australia in 2008, she dipped into the water and not long after, she announced her pregnancy. This may sound strange to others but the actress believed that the mystical waters helped her conceive.